What was once exclusive to males or women is now up for grabs, and fashion norms are becoming less rigid. Men’s and women’s clothing still differs in one minor way, though, and some historians contend that this is a centuries-old custom that has its roots in gender inequity.
When you next button your shirt, pay close attention to the placket, which is the reinforced band of cloth where the button and buttonhole meet. Now, carefully examine a clothing belonging to someone of the other gender and see if you can spot the difference.
Generally speaking, men’s buttons are on the right and women’s on the left.
Though experts have various suggestions, the precise roots of the oddball opposite-button design have been lost to time.
The lady’s maid
One of the most commonly acknowledged explanations dates back to the days when affluent women didn’t dress themselves. Since most individuals were right-handed, buttons were positioned on the left to make it easier for the maid to attach them. Upper-class women frequently had maids to assist them with getting dressed.
Melanie M. Moore, the founder of the womenswear brand, told Today that buttons were extremely costly when they were first developed in the 13th century, much like other new technologies. In those days, wealthy women relied on their lady’s maid to dress them instead of them. This made it simpler for the person on the other side of you to button your dress because most individuals were right-handed.
In contrast, males, who often dressed themselves, wore buttons on their right to accommodate right-handed people.
All set for combat
According to other experts, men’s apparel was made for combat.
Many men in the past carried weapons, such as pistols or swords, and need convenient access. According to fashion historian Chloe Chapin, having buttons on the right made it simpler to unbutton coats or jackets while freeing up their dominant hand for action since “access to a weapon…practically trumped everything,” she told Today.
Chapin, a PhD candidate in American studies at Harvard, began by saying, “I think it’s important to question which time period we’re talking about.” “But generally speaking, the military is the source of many aspects of men’s fashion.”
The left-side buttons persisted since, of course, women’s dress did not consider combat functionality.
A twist that is masculine
Another argument put out by Chapin was that women’s attire began to incorporate more masculine aspects during the 1880s.
It was in style for women’s apparel to appear more stereotypically masculine. Perhaps a variation in buttoning verified that you were wearing a female clothing, though, as it was unlawful in many locations to dress like a man in public, the historian added.
Inequality of gender
In “Man and Woman: A Study of Secondary and Tertiary Sexual Characters,” published in 1894, British sexologist Havelock Ellis noted that women’s clothing buttoning from right to left was a hint that they were viewed as less physically strong than males. He maintained that men, who, in contrast to women, did not need help getting dressed, possessed the “rapidity and precision of movement” that women lacked due to their inferior motor skills.
“Differential button”
People are only now becoming aware of what The Atlantic dubbed the “button differential,” despite the fact that this small fashion element has been concealed for generations.
According to the journal, it “is a relic of an old tradition that we have ported, rather unthinkingly, into the contemporary world.”
The internet community is also taken aback.
“I was today years old when I learned that women’s shirts have buttons on the left side,” a Reddit user writes. Another comments, “I *just* discovered that shirt buttons are on the right for me and the left for women.” WTF!
Others shared their thoughts on the centuries-old custom that still shapes fashion today, which is rife with gender inequality.
“Ah, the big gender split. It seems that centuries ago, men were supposed to take care of themselves while women needed assistance getting dressed. We’re still adhering to antiquated customs in the present day,” one person tweets.
“Usually, zippers too!” comments a second Redditor.
The majority of garment companies still adhere to the left-for-women, right-for-men guideline, while some brands are now questioning gendered button placement.
Did you know that men’s and women’s buttons were on opposite sides? Tell us what you think of this shocking discovery, and then tell your friends about it so we can hear from them!